On behaviour in the church

• Remember that the church is the house of God and behave accordingly. Please enter with respect and reverence. You are kindly asked to wear appropriate modest dress; no miniskirts, please. (For practical reasons, please refrain from high-heeled shoes, which damage the wooden floor.) The Church rules ask ladies to have their heads covered, while men must have heads uncovered. Entering the church, please refrain from talking and greeting friends loudly. Please switch off mobile phones. Children should be watched by their parents during the service and not allowed to be noisy.
• During the service try not to move around without need. Movement is discouraged during certain parts of the service (such as during the reading of the Gospel; the singing of the Creed; and especially during the Eucharistic Canon, between the singing of "Милость мира" by the choir and the exclamation "Изрядно о Пресвятей" by the priest). At these solemn moments one should not enter or exit the church, fix candles, etc. It is best to buy and put candles at the beginning of the service and the rest of the time to pray without distraction. Even if you do not know the order of the service, try to follow the reading and singing. Please feel free to ask questions later. For making the sign of the cross and bowing, see what others are doing. Not everybody knows, but the Church rules strictly forbid kneeling on Sundays and during the whole of the Easter period, as offending the joy of the Resurrection.
• At the beginning of the Divine Liturgy you can submit, with a donation, notes for the commemoration of the living ("во здравие") and for the departed ("за упокой") Orthodox. Commemoration at the Divine Liturgy is the highest form of prayer for those dear to you, living or dead. Please write the names clearly, fully (not nicknames), and, if in Russian, using the genitive case (e.g., "рабов Божиих Марии, Марии, Веры, Алексия, младенца Михаила"). It is better to use the church forms, such as "Иоанн", "Сергий", "Алексий", "Ксения", "Георгий", etc. (for "Иван", "Сергей", "Алексей", "Оксана", "Егор").
• The Creed ("Верую") and the Our Father ("Отче наш") are normally sung by the whole congregation. Please try to join the singing, following the choir. The texts of these main prayers are available at the candle desk.
• Everybody is welcome to attend the services. However, only Orthodox Christians, duly prepared, can receive Holy Communion. For confession, please come early before the Divine Liturgy.
• At the end of the service, please depart quietly. You are kindly asked to refrain from talking at the time when people are venerating the cross and the final prayers are being said. Please go upstairs if you wish to share a cup of tea or the light meal usually offered after the Divine Liturgy. You are very welcome. We do not start eating before a prayer has been sung and the food has been blessed. If you bring food to share, please try to stick to the fasting rules of the Church.

Webmaster. 22 December 2006 (4 January 2007)